The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-07-20
HEALTH AND EDUCATION.
THE WAY GREENwooD's SCHOOL HOUSES
WERE BUILT.

No Longer willing to Tax Them
selves without Guarantee Of
Satisfactory Service In Faithful
and Efficient Teaching.
! (W. Il Blake in the Mediun,.)
/ Greenwood, a town of l.60O inhabitants. Is
| situated In Abbeville county, on the dividing
ridge between The waters of savannah ana
Saluda rivers. 1t Is the centre OF q circle
whose circumference extendsto to Augusta, Col
umbia, Spartanburg and GreenVille, ana is
| therefore the heart Of the Piedmont region,
embracing the most fertile and wealthy Sec
tion of the State.
memory Of her oldest Inhabitants. The loca-
tion of the town was originally selected by
| wealthy farmers who owned large plantations
on the waters Of Saluda river in this and and ad-
they repaired, with their families, during the
summer, to enjoy its pure, health-giying wa. wa.
| ters-beyopd the reach of malaria. The nrst
] in 1898 by Judge John McGhee, late of Florida,
| on beautiful eminence In the centre OF the
present village, adjoining the lot OF the Meth
odist church. The lands on which the town
is located were owned by J. Y. Jones, the
grandfather of the present County Auditor,
and were sold by him in small lots at $40 per
acre. Judge McGhee was soon followed by
| other settlers.
OLD CAMBRIDGE WAS DIsMANTLED.
brdge"the ridge sc County seat of the old Ninety;
six District of colonial times, which had
grown to a town OF considerable commercial,
well as political and yas
| Ninety-Six creek near the present boundary
of Edgefield and Abbeville counties: on the
public highway leading from Charleston 10
/ the mountains. The lands were unsurpassed
in fertility. There the legal business of one
fourth of the territory of the State had been
transacted, and a large public library aceu-
mulated under the auspices Of the Cambridge
Educational Association. The SUBDIVISION OIL
| Ninety-Six District into smaller judicial dis
tricts, as :hey were known before the adop'
tIon Of the present term county, anu the un.
the complete obliteration Of once prosper
GUS town. Many OF her people moved to
| Greenwood, and some OF her houses were
brought here and re-erected. Among tn the
Byrd, Calhoun, Hackett Waller, Blake, Rey'
nolds, Logan, Mcclellan, Vance. Crews, SUN
van, Watson, White and others, all represen,
tative men, whose influence contributed
much to mould, not only the high character
OF Abbeville county, but, TO considerable
| extent, was felt by the whole State, as subse-
ouent events, OF which mention will be made
in the progress Of this narrative, will show
The accuracy of their Judgment In the selcc'
tion OF q health resort is strikingly eXempli'
fed in the fact that larger proportion Oh neI
citizens have out-liyed their three score years
and ten, than in any other town IN the SIatc
OF equal extent OF population; The sou Is Is
sandy, with but little clay In 1t; the water Is
as pure and sweet as that which guShes from
| the mountains side; the climate Is delight
fully invigorating and the atmosphere Is iree
| from malaria. :.
THE GREENWOOD EDUCATIONAL Assoc1A'
rIoS-DIsT1NGUIsHED EDUCATORS EN-
PLoYED.
| Such O body of men having united their ior.
tunes in one community, at once set aoouI
the establishment of schools. Th2y formed
fNr trt,
charter under the name OF the "Grecnwood
l Educational Association"
i On the dissolution Of the old Cambridge as
sociation-which. by the way, had eStaDllSh
ed and fostered Mi. Zion College in Winns
boro 8. Cts library, chemical ana phlioSo'
phical apparatus, and Its museum were Trans rams
ferred to the Greenwood assoclalion. lnuS
i equipped they erected the commodious build
ing known as the Old Chapel, whose lofty stee-
Pile stands to-day as monument 10 the mem
| ory ar d MS an index OF the wisdom OF its ioun'
ders. They employed from time Ioncs to SsmG
l Giles, Samuel Trowbridge, DR.. Isaac AUD,
\ William Adams, William l.: Harris and
i long list Of others OF equal distinction, whose
ability gave to
| "THE GREENWOOD HIGH SCHOOL"
o reputation and patronage which extend
ed beyond the limits of this State. These
schools y ere largely attended. and their an
nual public examinations were occasions
which drew together perhaps as large crowds
u
! mencement occasions in our colleges. These
annual examinations were conducted very
much after the manner OF college commence
ments. There was the searching eEalninis'
| tion of the pupil, by a committee OF gentle:
men selected for the purpose uccmmation I nilg
| original essays read, and some distinguished
speaker was invited to deliver the annual ad'
| dress before the association.
An idcident characteristic of the men VINO
composed this association Is worthy OF men
tion. w. R. Taber, ESQ.,, editor OF the Char
lesion Mercury, and young man OF o gpen. Pro 3ne
literary societies OF the South Carolina Coilcsc
on popular education, in which he took nigh
grounds against the education OF the masses,
| such a hue and cry was raised against him In
certain quarters OF the State, as to amount to
| persecution.
He was burnt in efflgy and such
other manifestations of popular disapprovai
were indulged in as TO arouse q counter spirit
i in the breasts OF the noble and generous The
Greenwood association determined 10 invite
him to deliver their next annual address:
which he readily accepted. and declared thai
| it was q ray of light coming to him III I'M
penetrable darkness.
soME.oF THE GOOD WORK OF GREENwooDs
sCHooLs-NAMEs OF SOME OF THE STUD
| ESTs WHOSE AFTER LIVES REFLECT
CREDIT ON THE COUNTRY.
| or the number Of pupils who received their
elementary training in whole or In part In
! these schools, many have risen TO distinction.
Moragne, Simonds, Blake, Logan, Boozer and
a host OF others, laid the foundation Of the
future eminence to which they attained at
the bar, on the bench, in the counting room.
| In the halls Of congress and In the cnalrs OF
| college professors.
WHEN THE FIRST CHAPTER IN THE HISTORY
OF HER SCHOOLS HAD BEEN PUNISHED,
| THE PEOPLE ADJUSTED THEMSELVES TO
| THE CHANGE AND REBUILT FINER AND
| BETTER SCHOOLS.
Abbevllle and adjoining counties were
proceeded from this centre, to- learn
ing, and they can point with pride of a long
list Of worthy citizens yet living who we're
prepared here TO adorn the various walks OF
varied success up to the breaking out OF the
war, which put an end to educational, as 1t
did to ali other schemes, for the time. At
| this point Is blank page, covering decade
in the history of her schools.
| The close OF the war brought with it the
same sad results to Greenwood, which were
experienced by every other town OF the south
Many OF her best men had fallen on the field
Of battle, and general wreck Of fortune fol-
| lowed the issues OF war. Nothing daunted,
however, this people accepted the situation
| with that elasticity necessary to enable them
i to adjust themselves to their new conditions.
Nerved by the example OF their fathers, they
addressed themselves to the task of rebuild
| ing their lost fortunes and turned their attcn-
tion early to
! THE RE-EsTABLISIIMENT OF SCHOOLS
as one OF the first duties affecting their prI-
vate as well as public interests. The cduca-
| tional association was reorganiZed and the
schools opened with the most encouraging
evidences of success. Teachers Of reputation
were employed at largo salaries and the at
tendance on the schools was good; but it was
discovered, after few years experience and
observation, with many different teachers,
that want of discipline greatly initiated